Mohammed Deif is rarely seen in public and has survived several Israeli assassination attempts, but the Hamas military commander has final say in all decisions and is running the Gaza war from his hideout.

That nine of the 10 Israeli servicemen killed in the counter-terror operation against Hamas Monday, July 28, died on Israeli soil was a wake-up call for Israel’s war leaders. It meant that Hamas had used the 22 days of combat to carry the contest from its own home ground into Israel by grabbing the tactical advantage of surprise, as illustrated by the tragic Nahal Oz tunnel episode which cost 5 Israeli lives. debkafile: The tunnel threat can’t be eliminated without first seizing Hamas war rooms, the hub of its elaborate underground network.

A decision to push ahead for the next stage of Israel’s counter-terror offensive in the Gaza Strip was widely expected Monday night, July 28, after a day of deadly coordinated attacks by Hamas, supposedly a ceasefire day, cost 10 soldiers’ lives. The IDF was braced to respond operationally by advancing to the next stage of its counter-terror campaign. But the order did not come. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon continued to clutch at the straw of a viable ceasefire – even though Hamas has violated every truce.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was wavering Sunday, July 27, between sticking with his understsanding with Saudi Arabia and Egypt to crush Hamas, at the cost of a deep rift with Washington, or going along with Kerry, at the cost of Israel’s security against dangerous terrorists. This dilemma was mirrored in the stop-go ceasefire orders to Israel’s forces fighting in the Gaza Strip, an uncertainty of purpose that put them in great danger. It also left Hamas free to shoot rockets any time, with the US, Europe, Iran, Qatar and Turkey at its back.

Before it ended with Hamas rocket fire Saturday night, July 26, the 12-hour Israel-Hamas ceasefire offered Israeli intelligence a rare opportunity for collecting enemy data. In the heat of battle, the IDF and its clandestine arms were unable to gain electronic and SIGINT access to the underground Hamas and Islamic Jihad command and control centers, which appear to be well equipped with complex tactical and encrypted communications systems. Now they must go for Hamas’ sophisticated intelligence production processing system, elements of which may have broken surface during the ceasefire.

Israel’s Netanyahu, Egypt’s Sisi and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah planned the Gaza war in advance and continue to coordinate its progress, in a new alliance that may allow them to take on other common enemies.

While talking tough, Hamas is keen on a “humanitarian” ceasefire – not out of sudden concern for Gaza’s civilians but in desperation for an answer to the Chariot-4 tank’s Armored Shield Protection-Active Trophy missile defense system, the Windbreaker. The Russian Kornet-E and the 9M113 Konkurs guided missiles which Hamas has fired against them don’t leave a scratch. Hamas fears that the IDF’s 401st armored brigade’s tanks, the only ones fitted with this armor, will spearhead Israel’s decisive assault on its underground high command, and has asked Tehran to find a counter-measure.

Senior IDF commanders said Wednesday July 23 that it was time for a decisive war move. Dismantling Hamas’ tunnel network would take weeks, they said, but the critical encounter for completing their mission and bringing the war to a close remained to be fought after three key IDF victories: The battle for Shejaiya grabbed the headlines, but the confrontations in Rafah and Khan Younes in southern Gaza were just as important. The commanders urge a large-scale assault on the subterranean complex housing Hamas’ top military command.

The IDF finally Tuesday, July 22, listed Golani soldier Sgt. Oron Shaul, aged 20, from Poriya Elite, missing after an initial attempt to declare him presumed dead, mainly to head off Hamas extortions. This did not work. It was not accepted by the family without proof, and Hamas was quick to claim the missing soldier was in their hands, without offering evidence of his capture or specifying whether he was alive, dead or wounded. This was just one of IDF bids to mold facts for public consumption that went amiss.

Three rival groups are in a tug-o’-war over a ceasefire initiative for the Gaza conflict: The US and UN; Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia; and Qatar, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Monday night, July 21, US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Cairo to press their case. Egyptian President Abdel-Fatteh El-Sisi told them he would not amend his original ceasefire proposal to suit Hamas’ demands. Israel has reserved its response, needing time for the IDF to accomplish its counter-terror mission in the Gaza Strip.

Another seven IDF officers and men died in combat with Hamas Monday, July 21 on the fourth day of Israel’s ground operation in the Gaza Strip, raising the total of Israeli fallen in this operation to 25. Four men were killed guarding the Israeli side of the Gaza border by terrorists who jumped out of a tunnel 200 meters from Kibbutz Nir Am, disguised in IDF uniforms and flak vests. Ten were killed in a counter-attack aided by helicopters, averting a major terrorist attack or kidnap: A truce remains elusive as Hamas stands by unacceptable terms.

The IDF Golani Brigades lost 13 soldiers early Sunday, July 20, in the Gaza Strip district of Shejayia, it was announced. Their commander, Col. Rosan Aliyan, was seriously injured. The urban stage of the IDF’s Operation Defensive Edge has taken Israel into one of its most perilous wars, launched as Hamas’ rocket barrage against the Israeli population continued without pause. When the troops are done cleansing Shejaia, they must grapple with tough challenges in three more Hamas Gaza City strongholds: Shaati, Al Bureij and Nuseirat, before its terrorist infrastructure is dismantled.

After artillery and air strikes softened up the terrain, Israel launched the ground phase of Operation Defensive Edge against Hamas Thursday night, July 17 in the north and the south. Their first action targeted the southern towns of Khan Younes and Rafah. IDF Chief, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz confirmed to the cabinet Friday that the IDF is focusing on southern Gaza at this stage, with the potential for expanding into further areas. debkafile: The troops have not yet reached Gaza City, although destroying Hamas’ bunker infrastructure there is key to the operation’s success.